Innovation centers have become increasingly popular among organizations striving to drive innovation and remain relevant and competitive in today’s dynamic business environment. However, despite good intentions, many innovation centers are not achieving their goals, and worse, some organizations are seeing a decline in innovation after the establishment of the innovation department. While there are many reasons why innovation centers may be dysfunctional, today I would like to address two important points.
One reason innovation centers may not be effective is that once established, they are often perceived as being in charge of innovating on behalf of the organization. Innovation must occur at all levels of the organization. It is essential to create an environment that fosters creativity and innovation but unfortunately, instead of encouraging it, creating an innovation department can simply stop it. A dedicated innovation center can provide the resources, time and space for employees to work together, share ideas and collaborate on projects. Therefore, rather than designating one person or group of people as responsible for innovation, organizations need to create a culture of innovation that encourages employees to be creative and share their ideas freely.
Another reason innovation centers fail is that they are simply set up backwards. In many cases, organizations start by finding a space, decorating it with whiteboards, inspirational phrases on the walls, and Bean bags. They call this space the innovation department, and then look for people to innovate in it. This approach is the opposite of what needs to be done.
Rather than creating an environment and hoping that innovation will follow, organizations should focus on finding the right people with the right mindset, skills and expertise to drive innovation. In addition, organizations should take a multidisciplinary approach to innovation and involve employees from different departments and backgrounds to bring diverse perspectives and expertise, which will lead to more innovative solutions.
However, the dysfunction of innovation centers can be attributed to other factors. A lack of strategic alignment, unclear goals, insufficient funding, and inadequate support from top management are some of the common reasons why innovation centers fail to drive innovation. It is important to ensure that innovation centers are aligned with the organization’s overall strategy, have clear goals, adequate funding, and top management support to succeed.
Innovation centers are not a silver bullet for driving innovation in an organization. To succeed, leaders must create a culture of innovation that encourages employees to be creative and share their ideas freely, and take a multidisciplinary approach to innovation involving employees from different departments and backgrounds. In short, we must start with the human aspect, because “innovation is first and foremost a social act of appropriating the new.”
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